The NRA kept its dozen in-house lobbyists on lockdown in the first month after the Newtown massacre, but no more. The group is moving back onto Capitol Hill in force, not shying away from its take-no-prisoners message: no new gun laws.

But as President Barack Obama prepares to release his gun-control proposals Wednesday, lawmakers can expect to hear a new argument alongside the NRA’s longtime case — about the right to bear arms and the sanctity of the Second Amendment.

Its friends in the gun manufacturing lobby are relying on union workers to make a more practical argument — that guns are about jobs.

Nearly 40 union workers for the Remington Arms Factory in New York, where the AR-15 Bushmaster rifle used in the Newtown shooting is manufactured, protested New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s new gun law at the state capitol in Albany. They’re expected to make a similar case in Washington.

Considering the early jockeying—even before his plan is on the table – President Obama shouldn’t expect Congress to take up his call to act lightly.

Vice President Joe Biden has said the administration is reviewing 19 different possible executive orders – a nod to the fact that the White House knows they can’t muster the vote in Congress for legislation. And even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been cool to a central provision expected to show up in Obama’s plan – a renewal of the ban on assault weapons.

The NRA has a veritable army of lobbying muscle, including high profile firms like Forbes-Tate and the C2 Group on the Democratic side and GOP heavyweights like Crossroads Strategies, SNR Denton and Shockey Scofield Solutions. They also retain top-flight in-house K Streeters like Chris Cox and James Baker.

NRA consultants and in-house staff have been ordered to avoid the press in an effort to control their message. An NRA spokesman did not respond to several requests for comment. A source familiar with the group’s plan said that in-house lobbyists and some contract lobbyists had been tasked with bringing their message up to Capitol Hill.

Gun Owners of America’s Erich Pratt has also been up on the Hill. The group, which also favors getting rid of “gun-free zones,” has been lobbying lawmakers to come out in favor of the stance, according to Pratt.

Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, is taking a different tack. His group, along with more than 80 others, are engaging in Gun Appreciation Day Jan. 19. The move is an aggressive attempt to mobilize thousands at the grassroots level.

“This is where we think this battle is going to be won, or lost,” Gottlieb said. Further, he said the group has also been in touch with legislators on Capitol Hill and also in various states.

“We’ve really been in contact with a lot of Democrats that tended to support us in the past,” Gottlieb said.

One Democratic lobbyist, who was involved in the 1994 crime bill, said the NRA was responsible for most of the grassroots opposition in the last major guns legislation fight.

“The NRA is good at appealing to people’s base fears. The letters we would get on gun legislation were so over the top we routinely had to send to the FBI or mark as suspicious,” the lobbyist said. “With the NRA there really is no middle ground. No matter what they own the House lock, stock and barrel, so what’s the point of the Senate doing this.”

One senior GOP aide said that they haven’t seen an uptick in meetings scheduled, but have had more calls from constituents adamantly opposed to any new restrictions on firearms.

“My boss has a firm and well-established stance in support of the Second Amendment and we are not going to deviate from that just because criminals choose to operate outside the law,” the aide said. “I think folks know our stance and respect our reasoning behind it, so there is no need for groups to meet with us to talk about where we stand.”

On the other side of the equation, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the Brady Campaign have also gone on offense.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns sat down with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Executive Director Mark Glaze described as "cautious, but receptive."

“We’ve been meeting with all the people you would expect,” Glaze said. “Some people you would not.”

The Brady Campaign has also been active. The group has fulfilled its pledge following Sandy Hook to make contact with every single congressional office and has plans to increase meetings once the proposals are made public.